Bye Bye Bangkok, Hello Beaches!

So much to report we don't know where to begin! Let's start with what just happened to us. We are now in Khao Lak and just treated ourselves to our first thai massages. Have any of you ever had a thai massage? It's not your run-of-the-mill rubdown. We came from the beach and couldn't get into the place we wanted to go so we settled for the nearest parlor that could accomodate us for a 10 dollar an hour massage. We're speechless. And we have never felt so limber. We believe they used Icy-Hot as the lotion which is why we are both slightly burning right now. They put their legs in odd places on our bodies and some of the poses resemble those of the Karma Sutra. It's safe to say Trish went to second base with her lady and ended up topless........But all in all a joyous experience which ended with sweet tea and watermelon......We're hooked.

Now back to Bangkok. Our final meditations:
1. You must stay on Soi Rambuttri Road right off of Khao San. It's more laid back and filled with joyous people and scrumptious street food.
2. You must eat at Gecko Bar and Mr. Yim's Vegetarian cart. They are across the street from each other and Gecko offers Pad Thai for 25 baht (less than a dollar) and Mr. Yim's makes the best pineapple and veggie fried rice on earth.
3. Visit with Joe, the friendliest travel agent around. He keeps post at New Siam 3 and is a complete gem.
4. Only cross the street when a Thai crosses the street. Bonus if you can cross the street with a monk, no one is going to hit a monk. It's important to make sure you get as close to them as possible when crossing so that you don't fall behind and get hit. We had a few close encounters but are now street-crossing experts!!
5. Tuk tuks are a must. They are better than a roller coaster and you get to barter your price, although you get forced to visit the "best" tailors in town and pretend to look interested in purchasing custom clothing. (Taylor Stitch, you should get in on this!)
6. Cabbages and Condoms is a must splurge. The food is delicious, the atmosphere incredible, and it is all for a good cause.
7. If you have the time, the Tiger Temple is a interesting excursion but we still can't decide if it was really cool or kind of sad. Regardless, Lauren got to spoon a tiger.

We have had a busy day, having gotten up at 4 am for our journey to Khao Lak, but we couldn't be more happy to be here!! We've already signed up for scuba and made friends with the owner of the dive shop. We probably don't need to tell you that the beach is incredible, but it is!! We have to go shower off all of this Icy-Hot before we meet up with Steve and get the low down on our volunteer project which we will begin tomorrow. We'll try to post pictures soon and hope everyone is doing well!!
P.S. Who won the Superbowl???

xoxo
T & L